potters council regional conferences

updated wed 23 mar 05

primalmommy on sun 9 jan 05

There seems to be an epidemic of twisted knickers lately, and I'm pretty
sure mel wasn't thumbing his nose at anyone who couldn't afford to go to
Mendocino.

I attended the one last year because it was in LaCrosse, and sounded
like a fun (11 hour) road trip. I went with a potter friend, slept in a
dorm, had a ball.

As I understood it, the idea of a REGIONAL conference is that it can
pull out people in one region, to network and share and gather and
learn. Unlike NCECA, the idea is not to get people to come from all over
the country -- though like anything else, folks who can afford to will
go anyway. I would if I could.

Nobody is forcing anyone to spend a bunch of money to go participate or
lead. I suspect big hitters from elsewhere are invited, but an
invitation is just that.

Anybody wringing their hands about Potters Council hosting a workshop
too far to travel needs to cowboy up, contact the council and organize
one in your own town. No hotel bill for you, no travel expenses, and
then everybody else can whine ;0)

I reread mel's last line a couple of times when it hit my inbox and
decided that the only way I could take offense to that statement would
be if I was looking for something to overinterpret and had way too much
time on my hands. I have enough people pissing me off directly to go
looking for oblique slights.

Life's too short to spend much time looking for new ways to be offended.
If you know who you are and are proud of what you do, just readjust your
giveashit meter. Mel has always made a point that we need to level the
playing field between the "big dogs" and the "beginners", since we all
learn from each other anyway. I'm sure that's where he was headed with
his comment.

Sorry if it seems like I'm defending mel. He needs no defending, but he
has been my good teacher. Plus he reminds me a lot of my dad ;0)

Yours
Kelly in Ohio
(is this a rant? OK then,)

Kelly Averill Savino
Toledo, Ohio
primalmommy @mail2ohio.com

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primalmommy on mon 10 jan 05

Vince, re: giveashit meter: you already have one.

Cross your arms in front of you, like a cigar store indian. Now unwind
them so that one is lying on top of the other, parallel. When somebody
presents you with a bucket of nonsense that you are supposed to get all
excited about, keep the top elbow anchored and forearm straight and lift
the fingertips just a few inches -- maybe a 5 degree angle. This is your
giveashit meter, barely registering. The tare button is essential, and
is adjusted internally.

Jeff and I use this visual joke on each other pretty frequently, as
shorthand -- sometimes directed at each other, sometimes as an inside
joke at parties/family dinners/long winded phone calls. You can get away
with it if you're subtle because people will be distracted by the sight
of your partner choking back laughter.

Not advised for use while driving, and only slightly less scientifically
reliable than a hydrometer.

Hope you get years of productive use out of your meter.

Yours
Kelly in Ohio

(Today the kids and I pinned 38.4 feet of timeline onto the wall - a
scale of 10 million years per inch -- and have begun to tack major
events -- pangea, formation of the Appalachian mountains, oxygen,
trilobites (the kids each got one for Christmas), dinosaurs. One kid
said, "where is the beginning of human history?" and I said, "See that
thumbtack holding the end of the string? We're under there." Puts it all
in perspective, doesn't it?

And why is it that all the "important" origins happened supposedly in
the fertile crescent -- first this, first that -- and then you find "oh,
by the way, the Japanese were making pots already a few thousand years
earlier"..)

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Carl D Cravens on mon 10 jan 05

> Life's too short to spend much time looking for new ways to be offended.

Amen. Nearly every user of the Internet can benefit from this wisdom at
some time in their lives.

> Mel has always made a point that we need to level the playing field
> between the "big dogs" and the "beginners", since we all learn from each
> other anyway. I'm sure that's where he was headed with his comment.

And I think the atmosphere on Clayart is, most generally, the most
inviting I have ever experienced for the number and levels of
professionals present. Sitting here watching guys whose names appear on
the covers of the books to my left, it's amazing how open Clayart feel,
and how inviting it is to the newbie potters.

Even when you guys have little arguments, they're still mostly polite. As
a newbie potter, I really appreciate those who have made an effort to make
this an inviting and civil place.

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"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that
we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only
unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American
public." --U.S. President (and Nobel Peace Prize winner) Theodore
Roosevelt.

Kate Johnson on tue 11 jan 05

> >> Where can I get a "giveashit meter?" Does it come with a car adapter?
> Does it have a USB port for direct link to my laptop? <<
>
> I think Nil Lou developed it along with the Oxy Probe. It's marketed
> through Axner's

But of course, inventive Earth Mother that she is, Primalmommy has developed
her own...simple, effective, elegant...

Kate

vhardin on mon 21 mar 05

Yeeeee hawww I can't think of nuthin better than a that! Taylor, how far is
Rockport from San Angelo?

Though I'm not yet a member of the Potters council, may I take this
opportunity to voice a vote for the Bent Coast. Forget those east and west
coasters for a change and come to R O C K P O R T, TX. And don't let Louis
talk you into Corpus Christi. It's a nice enough town, but it just doesn't
have the glitz and glamor of Rockport. My backyard will hold a bunch of
tents and for the presenters, I have two trailer pads next to the driveway.

You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/

Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.

Taylor from Rockport on mon 21 mar 05

Hey David,

Though I'm not yet a member of the Potters council, may I take this
opportunity to voice a vote for the Bent Coast. Forget those east and west
coasters for a change and come to R O C K P O R T, TX. And don't let Louis
talk you into Corpus Christi. It's a nice enough town, but it just doesn't
have the glitz and glamor of Rockport. My backyard will hold a bunch of
tents and for the presenters, I have two trailer pads next to the driveway.

Yeehaw!

No hat, no horse,

Taylor, in Rockport, TX

Taylor from Rockport on tue 22 mar 05

Oops. It's 385.66 miles as the mapquest bird flies I'm afraid. I so
wanted to go up to the Chicken Farm this year but the Fulton Mansion and
my loverly b and c need my help then.

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 20:28:54 -0600, vhardin wrote:

>Yeeeee hawww I can't think of nuthin better than a that! Taylor, how far
is
>Rockport from San Angelo?